20 dead, 450 injured after walkie-talkies explode in Lebanon's Hezbollah strongholds

A day after explosion of thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah in Lebanon killed nine people and wounded around 2,800, 20 more people were killed and over 450 injured after walkie-talkies and handheld radios bought along with the pagers, exploded in three areas of the country on Wednesday (September 18).

It was not immediately clear how many walkie-talkies exploded, but reports estimated it at several hundreds.

According to Lebanese media, the walkie-talkie blasts occurred in Beirut, Bekaa Valley, and Southern Lebanon. Video clips on social media showed a ball of fire in a building, a car ablaze, and a burnt motorbike. It was not immediately clear whether those videos were authentic.

Landline phones were also reported to have blown up in several areas of East Lebanon. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, home solar energy systems also exploded in several parts of Beirut.

Israel hand suspected

The Hezbollah had bought the pagers and the walkie-talkies from a Taiwan-based company five months ago. Though there is still no clarity on how the synchronised explosions were pulled off, Hezbollah and the Lebanon government and most analysts suspect Israel’s hand in the attack.

Israel has been engaged in a confrontation with the armed group since last October over the Gaza offensive, and no power in the region has the wherewithal to carry out such sophisticated tech-based attacks such as this one. The country’s powerful spy agency Mossad is known for carrying out similar attacks on its targets.

Rockets fired in retaliation, Israel on alert

The blasts on Tuesday reportedly killed at least nine persons, including a girl. The Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also wounded though not severely. Those who were injured were mostly wounded on the face, hands, and stomach. Those who had kept the pagers in their pockets suffered injuries to their thighs, waist, or hips.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah on Wednesday said it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in retaliation.

Israel said that the escalation by Hezbollah has forced it to move forces, resources and energy to the northern arena. The US has warned “all parties to refrain from any actions that could escalate the conflict”.